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Dec 27, 2012
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>> senator mcconnell's probably in the best position. he's in very close touch with the president, the white house and democrats in both the senate and the house have been in very close coordination throughout this. they have been in lockstep. it was interesting to note that when we saw the plan "b" chaos just before christmas the house democrats stood firm. they stood united. historically, that's not the play of the democratic party but that does seem to be where the democrats are right now. the president is back today so there can be an opportunity for some discussions to resume. but boehner has made it clear that's it up to the senate at least in his opinion to make the next move. >> david, senator reid today accused speaker boehner of ca caring more about his job than, quote, keeping america on firm financial footing. >> right. >> that's the quote there. congressman tom cole asked about that earlier today. this was his answer. take a listen. >> he had the complete support of everybody for plan "b" and support in terms of speakership
>> senator mcconnell's probably in the best position. he's in very close touch with the president, the white house and democrats in both the senate and the house have been in very close coordination throughout this. they have been in lockstep. it was interesting to note that when we saw the plan "b" chaos just before christmas the house democrats stood firm. they stood united. historically, that's not the play of the democratic party but that does seem to be where the democrats...
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Dec 23, 2012
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according to mcconnell supporters he prefers biden who is known by some in the west wing as the mcconnell whisperrer because he sees negotiating as a political horse trading. would it make sense for joe biden to handleal the situation or to negotiate himself? >> i think the price president biden is very adept at handling this situation if the president wants him to do so. this issue was discussed, debated and decided in the november election. and so i know senator mcconnell might want vice president biden to work with him on this issue but it's the president who was selected by the american people to move forward on his agenda. so regardless of what senator mcconnell wants we need to come up with a solution to this issue. >> politico reports his new toughness is rooted in the nature of his convincing november win. so either of you who feels like starting, does the president deserve any blame for the collapse of negotiations or is it expected given that he did win the election? >> he did win the election but has to take some sort of blame, as well. if you look at the great negotiations bet
according to mcconnell supporters he prefers biden who is known by some in the west wing as the mcconnell whisperrer because he sees negotiating as a political horse trading. would it make sense for joe biden to handleal the situation or to negotiate himself? >> i think the price president biden is very adept at handling this situation if the president wants him to do so. this issue was discussed, debated and decided in the november election. and so i know senator mcconnell might want...
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Dec 26, 2012
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we know there's not been communication between boehner and mcconnell, obama and boehner. are you amazed with this short amount of time to go there seems to be no sense of urgency on either side? >> am i amazed, given what we went through with the debt ceiling, no, i'm not amazed. i think there are forces here in this town that would like for us, sure people would like for there to be a deal, but going over the cliff on january 1st when there's this notion where it's not really a cliff, it's a slope, it's a curb depending who you talk to, that you can repair the damage if you get a deal done, you know, a few days after january 3rd. i think people feel like they can slow walk. as we saw last week when plan b failed, you know, speaker boehner said it's up to the white house and the democrats to come up with a deal. >> washing my hands with it. what's interesting is what you just touched on, conventional wisdom has grown now to it's a cliff, it's a cliff, we can't go off it, to we're okay for two to three weeks afterwards, the treasury can stay in place. do you think they wan
we know there's not been communication between boehner and mcconnell, obama and boehner. are you amazed with this short amount of time to go there seems to be no sense of urgency on either side? >> am i amazed, given what we went through with the debt ceiling, no, i'm not amazed. i think there are forces here in this town that would like for us, sure people would like for there to be a deal, but going over the cliff on january 1st when there's this notion where it's not really a cliff,...
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Dec 26, 2012
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>> the ball seems to be in mitch mcconnell's court. does he filibuster anything that harry reid ends up making with president obama? we have a paired down legislation extending for income below $250,000 and doing something with unemployment insurance that you were talking about? the question is a senate filibuster, democrats need 60 votes and republican votes, mcconnell ends up filibustering and will there be senators who support the legislation and blocking the filibuster. a lot of gymsmanship and republicans when you lock at the situation in the house and the inability to pass along the other things, they are on the verge of taking a lot of blame if they filibuster the legislation and the house doesn't act on it. >> and only democratic support developing here. how much is he going to agree with the president when he has the election in 2014? some folks don't want to appear in any way too close to president obama right now. >> let's move on in terms of massachusetts. we got the information that ted kennedy jr. will not run. scott brow
>> the ball seems to be in mitch mcconnell's court. does he filibuster anything that harry reid ends up making with president obama? we have a paired down legislation extending for income below $250,000 and doing something with unemployment insurance that you were talking about? the question is a senate filibuster, democrats need 60 votes and republican votes, mcconnell ends up filibustering and will there be senators who support the legislation and blocking the filibuster. a lot of...
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Dec 27, 2012
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reid, mcconnell, boehner and pelosi. . joining me to talk more, we have peter alexander standing by at the white house as well as nbc's mike viqueira on capitol hill. some verbal smackdown, basically flipping the lights back on and harry reid taking to the floor to eviscerate speaker boehner. >> the sad part is you often seen the floor opened that way. mitch mcconnell being later today. i'm sure we'll hear something later. to hear it two days after christmas and a matter of days before we go through the fiscal cliff, obviously not encouraging. harry reid says time is running hout. he doesn't know if they could go through the legislative hurdles. if they have the votes around here, they can legislate the sky is green and the grass is blue. that's not an issue. what harry reid is really saying is mitch mcconnell, get on board, don't try to filibuster. of course they're talking about a bill that had raise capital on couples making more than $250,000 a year, and do a few other nuts and bolts that are deemed the bare minimum th
reid, mcconnell, boehner and pelosi. . joining me to talk more, we have peter alexander standing by at the white house as well as nbc's mike viqueira on capitol hill. some verbal smackdown, basically flipping the lights back on and harry reid taking to the floor to eviscerate speaker boehner. >> the sad part is you often seen the floor opened that way. mitch mcconnell being later today. i'm sure we'll hear something later. to hear it two days after christmas and a matter of days before we...
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Dec 27, 2012
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whether mcconnell will filibuster such a deal and will boehner allow a vote. the strategy he indicated moments ago. that doesn't look like good news with the frosty exchange of statements between house speaker boehner yesterday and majority leader reid. the statements indicated this political paralysis we have been stuck in for several days. the question is he seems out and can they do the little things to get us past the deadline. >> i want to go back to you. procedurally, we know how hard it is for any type of bill, even if they agreed on it to move forward by that deadline. explain why that's so hard? >> consider the likelihood that mitch mcconnell does not insist on that plateau. such a bill that goes back to the house of representatives, the senate sent the same bill back to the house in august. how is john boehner going to get the votes for that when he couldn't get the votes for plan b to raise taxes on only those making $1 million a year. it seems unlikely that the current course we are in will be the solution. we have gone nowhere here. peter is right
whether mcconnell will filibuster such a deal and will boehner allow a vote. the strategy he indicated moments ago. that doesn't look like good news with the frosty exchange of statements between house speaker boehner yesterday and majority leader reid. the statements indicated this political paralysis we have been stuck in for several days. the question is he seems out and can they do the little things to get us past the deadline. >> i want to go back to you. procedurally, we know how...
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Dec 24, 2012
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senate majority leader harry reid, minority leader mitch mcconnell will have to work together. a lot of focus shifts to mcdonnell. he has to try to get something that will pass with republicans that they can get through the house and senate, but i think president obama certainly has a role to play. remember, he is the one who ran on the platform. >>> you heard him map out on friday. he would like a scaled-back version of the grand bargain, something to prevent taxes going up, and also lay the groundwork potentially for deficit reduction in the future. i think you will see president obama cut his vacation short, and continue to play a role in those negotiations. richard. >>> kristin, over the weekend, he attended the funeral for the late senator inouye, who he has called an inspiration to him. what did you see in that service? >> well, more than 20 members of congress attended, mostly democrats, majority leader harry reid spoke and praised senator inouye for his partisan spirit, reaching across the aisle. of course in an earlier memorial service, the president called the late se
senate majority leader harry reid, minority leader mitch mcconnell will have to work together. a lot of focus shifts to mcdonnell. he has to try to get something that will pass with republicans that they can get through the house and senate, but i think president obama certainly has a role to play. remember, he is the one who ran on the platform. >>> you heard him map out on friday. he would like a scaled-back version of the grand bargain, something to prevent taxes going up, and also...
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Dec 22, 2012
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>> mcconnell is worried. he and polling about ashley judd, if he is polling he is worried. his numbers are not great and his colleague was not his choice, rand paul, to be the other senate, he was the tea party candidate. so mitch mcconnell is worried. >> she can bring in a lot of outside money, coming in from around the country and hollywood. >> she can, she has a few problems. she lives in tennessee and scott land where her husband is from. so a lot of kentucky voters will say, what does she have to do with us anymore. she has name recognition though, and in the game of running for political office that is important. >> another development, south carolina, nicki haley there announcing she was picking congressman tim scott to replace jim demint. and scott will be the only african american in the senate and one of only a handful in the history of the senate. who will replace scott may be the question here. ? well there's certainly any number of candidates, strom thurmond ran against tim scott before. there's always the possibility, mark san ford, this will be a hotly contes
>> mcconnell is worried. he and polling about ashley judd, if he is polling he is worried. his numbers are not great and his colleague was not his choice, rand paul, to be the other senate, he was the tea party candidate. so mitch mcconnell is worried. >> she can bring in a lot of outside money, coming in from around the country and hollywood. >> she can, she has a few problems. she lives in tennessee and scott land where her husband is from. so a lot of kentucky voters will...
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Dec 29, 2012
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i'm confident senator mcconnell will do the same. but everybody, this is whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect. >> and t.j., there's a lot of pressure on lawmakers and on the president to get something done. we've already seen the markets impacted by this. a lot of americans have just expressed frustration and concern over what's going to happen to their tax rates in the new year if in fact lawmakers can't get a deal. so there's a lot of public pressure to get something done on this. and of course, time is really running out. t.j.? >> kristen welker for us at the white house. thank you so much. and joining me now with some inside perspective, there he is smiling this morning, democratic congressman elijah cummings a ranking member of the oversite committee. you are in baltimore, maryland right now. >> that's right. >> when are you heading back to washington, d.c.? >> i'll be in washington sometime later on this afternoon. >> and sir, what are you going to do when you get there? >> well, sadly, t.j., the house is in a posi
i'm confident senator mcconnell will do the same. but everybody, this is whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect. >> and t.j., there's a lot of pressure on lawmakers and on the president to get something done. we've already seen the markets impacted by this. a lot of americans have just expressed frustration and concern over what's going to happen to their tax rates in the new year if in fact lawmakers can't get a deal. so there's a lot of public pressure to get something done...
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Dec 28, 2012
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we know that we saw senators mcconnell and reid arriving a short time ago. we didn't pelosi and boehner arrive yet but the vice president joe biden got here a short time ago, as well. there's other reporting from the hill right now about the potential that the president is going to return to what was basically his original outlined plan. perhaps a smaller plan but a plan where the threshold would be set closer to $250,000 as he initially had before the $400,000 offer that john boehner the white house would contend walked away from when he proposed his $1 million threshold in this situation right now. that and a priority that the president outlined a week ago on friday before leaving to join the family in hawaii saying he wanted to extend unemployment benefits for a lot of americans. 2 million plus beginning to lose unemployment benefits, beginning of the end of the this week and significant element, as well. the president indicated to reporters when he spoke in the reefing room last he was open to several smaller steps enroute to a smaller package and unclea
we know that we saw senators mcconnell and reid arriving a short time ago. we didn't pelosi and boehner arrive yet but the vice president joe biden got here a short time ago, as well. there's other reporting from the hill right now about the potential that the president is going to return to what was basically his original outlined plan. perhaps a smaller plan but a plan where the threshold would be set closer to $250,000 as he initially had before the $400,000 offer that john boehner the white...
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Dec 24, 2012
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senate majority leader harry reid, minority leader mitch mcconnell will have to try to hammer out some sort of a compromise to avoid going over the cliff, but as you pointed out in your introduction, a lot of senators over the weekend expressed concern that, in fact, we will go over the fiscal cliff. of course, if is that happens, the economy could eventually slip back into recession. one interesting point, thomas, though, last time that members of congress worked between christmas and new year's was 1996. that was during the government shutdown. this is really a rare occurrence for members of congress to have to come back and work out legislation that they went able to get done before the christmas holiday. >> the president is supposed to stay there for how long? >> well, of course, the white house not really giving us specifics about the president's travel plans at this point in time. the reality is i think the president is himself trying to figure out what he is going to do, but we do expect that he will cut his vacation short. you've heard the president himself during his press con
senate majority leader harry reid, minority leader mitch mcconnell will have to try to hammer out some sort of a compromise to avoid going over the cliff, but as you pointed out in your introduction, a lot of senators over the weekend expressed concern that, in fact, we will go over the fiscal cliff. of course, if is that happens, the economy could eventually slip back into recession. one interesting point, thomas, though, last time that members of congress worked between christmas and new...
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Dec 23, 2012
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can mitch mcconnell or anyone on the republican sidestep forward in these last nine days remains to be seen. >> david drucker, to you. we had senator chuck schumer saying we were this close to getting a deal done. how close is "this close" now? and what did that entail? >> well, you know, i think it depends on what you think is "this close." from what we can tell, it looked as though speaker boehner and president obama were getting towards a formula of spending cuts and entitlement reform in exchange for tax increases in terms of rates going up on some level of higher income earners, and there's evidence that the president was willing to move from his $250,000 position to somewhere up around $400,000. of course the speaker was always looking to cap it at a million. but clearly they didn't feel they were getting somewhere, which is why the speaker was then running his plan b, which ultimately failed. look, i think that there is a deal that could get enough republican votes in a majority of republican votes in the house to raise income tax rates on higher earners. but in order to get rep
can mitch mcconnell or anyone on the republican sidestep forward in these last nine days remains to be seen. >> david drucker, to you. we had senator chuck schumer saying we were this close to getting a deal done. how close is "this close" now? and what did that entail? >> well, you know, i think it depends on what you think is "this close." from what we can tell, it looked as though speaker boehner and president obama were getting towards a formula of spending...
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Dec 27, 2012
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joe biden, one of the folks, a lot of journalists on the hill right now keeping a close eye on mitch mcconnell's office to see if vice president biden is swinging by today and one of the ways that the two sides may be having a form of a conversation today given the fact that we believe absent the calls, the president put out to the leaders, the house and the senate, that there's been no more conversations absent those between senior staff today. >> viqueira, a little birdie around the building said there's a pool that some people are in betting on when this thing will be wrapped up. and i heard you have january 10th. i would like to know your thoughts on why you picked january 10th. i would like to know what is the outlier date in this pool and if you have any intel on who else is in the pool. >> reporter: well, i mean, i'm sure i take no satisfaction in being right in this. there's a lot at stake here and certainly we look at gambling on legislation so there's money wagered. having said that, toure, i mean, you know, there's just too many ways to lose votes in this thing and not enough to gain
joe biden, one of the folks, a lot of journalists on the hill right now keeping a close eye on mitch mcconnell's office to see if vice president biden is swinging by today and one of the ways that the two sides may be having a form of a conversation today given the fact that we believe absent the calls, the president put out to the leaders, the house and the senate, that there's been no more conversations absent those between senior staff today. >> viqueira, a little birdie around the...
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Dec 24, 2012
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senate majority leader harry reid, minority leader mitch mcconnell will try to hammer out a deal and by all accounts, it will be a smaller deal, thomas. >> nbc's kristen welker traveling with the president in hawaii. kristen, thanks so much. joining us to talk about the chances of reaching a deal, democratic congressman from minnesota, keith ellison. sir, it's good to have you here, and do you think, as you hear what kristen is reporting there, that it's -- that it's still optimism that this could get done by the end of the year, but slim. do you think that it could get done, and is it going to get gone because of the onus now being on the senate? >> i think that we will have a deal. of course, no one can guarantee that. the real question is will boehner put a deal on the floor that enough of us democrats can vote for? that's the real question. the fact is he can't even get enough republicans to vote for that tea party wish list he put on the floor last week. so what he needs to do is come to the other direction to pick up enough votes to get a deal. now, that's going to take some st
senate majority leader harry reid, minority leader mitch mcconnell will try to hammer out a deal and by all accounts, it will be a smaller deal, thomas. >> nbc's kristen welker traveling with the president in hawaii. kristen, thanks so much. joining us to talk about the chances of reaching a deal, democratic congressman from minnesota, keith ellison. sir, it's good to have you here, and do you think, as you hear what kristen is reporting there, that it's -- that it's still optimism that...
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Dec 23, 2012
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is mitch mcconnell going to agree not to filibuster. is the speaker going to be able to bring it to the floor, which is viewed by his right wing as a complete sell out? because if he brings it to the floor, the democrats and the votes, 17, 20 you mentioned might be enough to pass it. that would be the end of his speakership. >> okay. >> so he's going to have to say no to bringing it to the floor. the president looks very good. i think the real story here is, if i were the president, i would not want to make a deal now. i think things get better for him as time goes on. >> at the same time -- >> it's a critical part of negotiations. if we don't make a deal, what will happen. what's likely to happen. >> at the same time, the american people are on both sides. >> very good job, by the way. what he's doing is, my expectation -- what i think is happening is the president doesn't want to make a deal, but he has to show he's doing everything possible to make it. he has to show the public wants to see him acting bipartisan. he's saying the righ
is mitch mcconnell going to agree not to filibuster. is the speaker going to be able to bring it to the floor, which is viewed by his right wing as a complete sell out? because if he brings it to the floor, the democrats and the votes, 17, 20 you mentioned might be enough to pass it. that would be the end of his speakership. >> okay. >> so he's going to have to say no to bringing it to the floor. the president looks very good. i think the real story here is, if i were the president,...